Buying a tennis racquet that suits your play can seem like a challenge, but if you know what you're looking for, you can see a vast improvement in your game. If you are just starting out in the sport, a big investment in a quality racquet might be a bit of a waste. If you plan on making this a frequent hobby, however, you need to have a racquet that will best enhance your natural abilities so you can effectively control and drive the ball as you want to. Below are a few tips that will help you choose the best racquet for your tennis style.
Step 1 – Identify Your Level of Play
You have to identify yourself as a beginning, intermediate or advanced player. Beginning players often hit with less power and less control than other players. Thus they need a versatile racquet that they can build their skills off of. A large racquet with average string tension will be the best in this case. For intermediate players who have a greater understanding of the principles of tennis, racquets can become more defined. By the time most players reach an advanced level of play, they pretty well know what specifics they need out of their racquet to yield the greatest performance.
Step 2 – Analyze Your Style of Play
Your racquet will greatly be determined by your tennis techniques. A powerful player with a strong swing is going to have a much different set of needs when compared to a manipulative player with weak arms. In tennis, the key to racquet selection is to find a racquet that will balance power and control with what you already offer. In other words, if you already have a ton of power in your swing, you need a racquet that will provide a lot of control. The same theory works in reverse. If you play with a medium level of power and control, you will need a racquet that will accommodate that.
Step 3 – Match the Racquet to Your Playing Style
Power players work well with small, light racquets that provide maximum control. Control players work well with medium to large sized racquets that have a stiff frame and heavy body to help drive the tennis ball towards a target. If you are a combination player, you will need to look for a mid-sized racquet with a good balance of stiffness, length, weight and the like.
Step 4 – Choose Your Grip Size
Measure the length from the middle of your palm to the end of your ring finger to determine your grip size. Women usually remain in the 4 1/8" to 4 3/8", while men stay around 4 1/2" to 4 3/4". If you are worried about getting the wrong size, go with a smaller grip that you can put an overgrip on. That should provide you with the right fit.
Step 5 – Choose Your String Tension
Every racquet has a recommended string tension. Some of them come pre-strung with that, and others and others are left unstrung for you to choose what you want. If you need more power out of your racquet, get a lower string tension. If you need more control, get a higher tension rate. You can take this to any local tennis shop to get strung, or you can custom order the stringing when you purchase your racquet. After the strings are set, simply get a case for your racquet and test it out.
Tennis Racquet Testing
If you can't seem to find the racquet for you, you could look into tennis racquet testing. Many websites offer this program nowadays, allowing you to try out different tennis racquets to see what you like the best. I've actually used the demo program from Tennis-Warehouse.com, and it helped me find the racquet I'm currently using. I paid for shipping there and back – that's it. You could do the same and save a ton of money testing out racquets.
Whether you're a pharmacy tech or an electrical engineer, you can find a tennis racquet suited to your needs. All you have to do is look around. Test out some different options and see what works for you.
Step 1 – Identify Your Level of Play
You have to identify yourself as a beginning, intermediate or advanced player. Beginning players often hit with less power and less control than other players. Thus they need a versatile racquet that they can build their skills off of. A large racquet with average string tension will be the best in this case. For intermediate players who have a greater understanding of the principles of tennis, racquets can become more defined. By the time most players reach an advanced level of play, they pretty well know what specifics they need out of their racquet to yield the greatest performance.
Step 2 – Analyze Your Style of Play
Step 3 – Match the Racquet to Your Playing Style
Power players work well with small, light racquets that provide maximum control. Control players work well with medium to large sized racquets that have a stiff frame and heavy body to help drive the tennis ball towards a target. If you are a combination player, you will need to look for a mid-sized racquet with a good balance of stiffness, length, weight and the like.
Step 4 – Choose Your Grip Size
Measure the length from the middle of your palm to the end of your ring finger to determine your grip size. Women usually remain in the 4 1/8" to 4 3/8", while men stay around 4 1/2" to 4 3/4". If you are worried about getting the wrong size, go with a smaller grip that you can put an overgrip on. That should provide you with the right fit.
Step 5 – Choose Your String Tension
Every racquet has a recommended string tension. Some of them come pre-strung with that, and others and others are left unstrung for you to choose what you want. If you need more power out of your racquet, get a lower string tension. If you need more control, get a higher tension rate. You can take this to any local tennis shop to get strung, or you can custom order the stringing when you purchase your racquet. After the strings are set, simply get a case for your racquet and test it out.
Tennis Racquet Testing
If you can't seem to find the racquet for you, you could look into tennis racquet testing. Many websites offer this program nowadays, allowing you to try out different tennis racquets to see what you like the best. I've actually used the demo program from Tennis-Warehouse.com, and it helped me find the racquet I'm currently using. I paid for shipping there and back – that's it. You could do the same and save a ton of money testing out racquets.
Whether you're a pharmacy tech or an electrical engineer, you can find a tennis racquet suited to your needs. All you have to do is look around. Test out some different options and see what works for you.
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